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SMAPIS News and Paranormal Blog

The SMAPIS ghost hunters have much to say about the paranormal. Read their opinions, investigation notes, findings and post comments here. If you disagree with their evidence, tell them! They love a good debate.

The act of powdering

Friday, May 1, 2009

Very few ghost hunters today, practice the dying art of powdering. This is the act of sprinkling baby powder in and around areas of investigation. Covering floor boards, table surfaces, and any other flat objects in hopes to track the physical movement of an entity.

Since the dawn of paranormal investigation, many cases have been reported. One in particular involves baby powder footprints across a hardwood floor. On an investigation in the spring of 1926, Dr. Horris Buchenstein, curator of the Philadelphia metropolitan museum of natural history, placed such powder across the floor of a 1750's inn. To his amazement, baby footprints extended from the closet to the entrance on the opposite side of the room. His findings were scrutinized by various members of the press to the conclusion that indeed, a ghostly baby inhabited the old inn.

My recent attempts with this technique have not been quite as fruitful, but my research is ongoing. I have been conducting controlled experiments using various powders, such as powdered sugar, baking powder, bleached and wheat flour, baking soda, Chinese 5 spice, nutmeg, comet cleanser, powdered milk, facial powder, bullion granules, ranch dip powder, vanilla pudding powder, malted milk powder, non-dairy coffee creamer, and white cake mix. I will continue to update this post as new information arises.